Introduction
Construction remains one of the most paper-heavy industries in the UK. Clipboards, site books, and filing cabinets still dominate most job sites. Yet going paperless isn’t just about tidying up your office—it’s about reclaiming time, reducing errors, and keeping your team compliant.
BORIS Software pioneered the digital shift in construction back in 2006, becoming the first platform specifically designed to encourage UK contractors to digitise their operations. Two decades later, the business case for going paperless is overwhelming. But where do you start?
This guide walks you through the six-step process we’ve seen work for hundreds of construction firms.
Step 1: Digitise Your Forms (Start with Your Most-Used Templates)
Your biggest quick win is replacing paper forms with digital ones. BORIS offers 30+ pre-built library templates including:
- Clock Cards – track labour hours with GPS-tagged timestamps
- Toolbox Talks – daily safety briefings with digital sign-off
- Site H&S Induction – onboarding checklist with compliance records
- Method Statements – risk assessments and control measures
Instead of printing, signing, filing, and later hunting through a box to find a specific clock card, your team fills in forms on mobile devices—on-site, in real time.
Why this matters: Paper forms get lost, damaged by weather, or filled in incorrectly. Digital forms auto-populate known data (site address, crew members) and enforce required fields before submission. They’re also timestamped the moment they’re completed—evidence that matters in an audit.
Getting started: Identify your top three most-used forms (usually timesheets, inductions, and safety briefings). Swap them for digital versions first. Your team will see the difference within a week.
Step 2: Capture Photo Evidence with GPS and Timestamps
Here’s what gets lost on paper: context. A photo of a completed job is just a photo. A timestamped, geotagged photo linked to the job and the crew member who took it? That’s evidence.
BORIS mobile captures three data points automatically:
- Timestamp – exact moment the photo was taken
- GPS coordinates – exact location
- User ID – who took the photo
Photos attach directly to job records. No more digging through a phone’s camera roll. No more arguing about whether a job was finished on time or on-site. The data is there.
Real-world benefit: Site inspections, defect tracking, and insurance claims all become bulletproof. Auditors love timestamped, geotagged evidence.
Step 3: Replace Wet Signatures with Digital Signatures on Every Form
Paper signatures prove nothing. Digital signatures prove everything—who signed, when, and from where.
In BORIS, every form submission requires a digital signature. This works for:
- Timesheets signed off by foremen
- Safety inductions signed by new starters
- Client sign-offs on completed jobs
- Tool counts and asset handovers
The signature is locked to the form, the timestamp, and the person. It can’t be removed or altered. And it’s legally admissible in UK courts.
Compliance win: Many construction contracts now explicitly require digital evidence. You’re future-proofing your audit trail.
Step 4: Centralise Compliance Tracking (The FRA Module as Your Model)
This is where paperless stops being admin tidying and starts saving your business.
BORIS’s Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) module is PAS 79 compliant—the UK standard for fire safety assessments. It includes:
- Live Drawing – interactive floor plans with colour-coded pins marking hazards and controls
- Action tracking – every finding linked to a responsible person and deadline
- Audit-ready documentation – compliance status at a glance
But FRA is just one example. You can set up action dashboards for any compliance area: H&S inspections, environmental checks, quality audits. Instead of a stack of completed forms in a filing cabinet, you have a live register of what’s been done, what’s outstanding, and who’s responsible.
Why this scales: As your business grows, compliance scales with you. You’re not adding more admin; you’re automating it.
Step 5: Track Your Assets (NFC, QR, and Barcode Tagging)
Tool theft costs the construction industry 44,514 incidents per year in the UK (2023 data). Many of those are preventable with basic asset visibility.
BORIS’s asset management integrates NFC, QR, and barcode tagging. You can:
- Tag every tool and piece of equipment with a unique barcode
- Log assets in and out of your van or site storage
- Track high-value items (scaffolding, plant, computers)
- Geo-tag checkout – record which site a tool left from
When a tool goes missing, you know exactly when it left and who checked it out. You’ve got evidence for insurance claims. And your team knows they’re being accountable—tool loss drops dramatically once this is live.
Getting started: Start with your most-portable, most-valuable items. Your drill set, laser kit, and expensive handtools. Once that’s working, expand.
Step 6: Automate Scheduling with Smart Resource Allocation
With your forms, compliance, and assets now digital, the final step is automating who works where and when.
BORIS’s Resource Planner uses DBS checks and certification records to automatically match qualified people to jobs:
- A job requires a working-at-height certification? The planner only suggests people with current CSCS cards.
- An NHS site requires DBS clearance? The system prevents scheduling anyone without it.
- You’re overloading one crew? Resource conflicts flag up automatically.
This sounds simple, but it’s transformative. You stop relying on spreadsheets and memory. You’re legally protected because every team member assigned is provably qualified.
Making the Shift (Low-Risk Entry Points)
You don’t need to transform your entire operation overnight. Here’s how to phase it in:
Freemium (Free)
- Unlimited mobile access
- Up to 3 users
- Ideal for testing the workflow
Lite (from £29.99/user/month)
- All core modules
- Up to 100 users
- GPS tagging, digital forms, basic asset tracking
Professional (from £59.99/user/month)
- Includes GPS fleet management
- 30+ library templates
- 3 bespoke custom templates
- FRA module (PAS 79 compliant)
Most teams start with Lite, prove ROI on one or two key workflows (usually timesheets and inspections), then move to Professional as compliance and fleet tracking become business priorities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my team resist switching from paper?
Initial resistance is normal. But within 2–3 weeks, most teams realise they’re doing less admin work and spending more time on actual work. The reduction in “where is the form I signed?” conversations alone is worth it. Invest in 30 minutes of training per person, and you’ll see adoption quickly.
What happens if a job site has no phone signal?
BORIS is offline-capable. Forms are filled in offline, then synced to the cloud once signal returns. Your team doesn’t lose any data, and timestamping still works because it’s recorded on the device.
How do I know I’m PAS 79 compliant?
BORIS’s FRA module is built to PAS 79-1 and PAS 79-2 standards. Every assessment template, action prompt, and documentation requirement is aligned. We also provide compliance audit reports you can send to your insurer or a local authority.
How long does migration from paper take?
For most teams, the core shift (forms, signatures, timesheets) takes 4–6 weeks. Compliance and asset tracking can run in parallel. We recommend phasing: Week 1–2 timesheets and clock cards; Week 3–4 inspections and inductions; Week 5+ asset tracking and compliance dashboards.
The Business Case
Paperless construction isn’t a future state—it’s the competitive baseline in 2026. Teams with digital evidence win more contracts, pass audits faster, and lose fewer tools. They spend less time on admin and more time on site.
Start with one workflow. Prove it to yourself. Scale from there.
Ready to Go Paperless?
BORIS is built for construction. Try the Freemium tier free—no credit card required. See how your team works with digital forms, GPS timestamping, and signature capture. When you’re ready to add compliance tracking and asset management, upgrade to Lite or Professional.
Start your free trial today: www.borissoftware.com/free
Or if you’d prefer to see how it works on your specific workflow, book a 20-minute demo with one of our field service specialists.
